Eric Grutka, right, owner of Ian's Tropical Grill, and Chris De'Lain, executive chef at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, bump fists after finding out that they finished in either first or second place during the Iron Chef competition at the Sandy Shoes Festival at Veterans Memorial Park in Fort Pierce in 2007.

Treasure Coast Newspapers

Find Ian's Tropical Grill on Facebook, click on the photo of Eric and his wife kissing fish at the beach, and click "like." Each "like" is counted as a vote.

A local chef is vying for a chance to compete against two others in the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival's Grand Chef Throwdown.

Eric Grutka, owner and chef at Ian's Tropical Grill in Stuart, is hoping to get a chance to compete in the Dec. 11 cook-off similar to Food Network's "Chopped."

"I always get people telling me, 'You should be on Top Chef,' " Grutka said. "I love to compete."

"The goal is to bring good food to Martin County. The best part about owning a restaurant is knowing we've been able to give (the customer) a couple hours of enjoyment," Grutka said.

He's hoping some of those satisfied customers come through to help him get to the chef showdown. In order get the chance to prepare an impressive dish in 30 minutes or less using a surprise ingredient, Grutka must win the popular vote. The two chefs with the most votes on Facebook will contend with the two-year reigning champion, Roy Villacrusis from the Studio in Bangkok O-Cha in West Palm Beach.

The three chefs will be judged on the flavor and overall presentation. The winner will go home with $10,000 and bragging rights.

"It would definitely be a validation of 20 plus years of working in the restaurant industry," said Grutka, who started working in restaurants at 14. "It'd definitely be a fun thing."

Grutka is in second place in the polls, which would ensure him a spot in the competition, but voting isn't over. You can vote until Nov. 30.

"To get a local chef down to a big thing like that would be a good thing," Grutka said of the festival that draws people from all over South Florida. "I'm definitely looking forward to it."

Also, if Grutka wins, he plans to donate $5,000 of the prize money to three charities, Celebrities for Kids, the Humane Society and Love Doctors Charities.